1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a power-saving technique, and more particularly, to a technique to control sleep windows in a wireless telecommunication device for reducing power consumption of a terminal device.
2. Description of the Related Art
IETEE standard 802.16 defines the wireless MAN™ air interface specification for wireless Metropolitan Area Networks (MANs). The standard heralds the entry of broadband wireless access as a major new tool in the effort to link homes and businesses to core telecommunications networks worldwide. The WiMAX Forum further proposed the WiMAX End-to-End Network Systems Architecture compatible with IEEE 802.16. Since the IEEE 802.16 is designed for wider coverage and broader bandwidth, it is viewed as one of the leading standards in 4th generation communication systems.
In IEEE 802.16e, three power saving modes, Type I, Type II, and Type III, are defined. Each class is associated with unique parameters, activation/deactivation procedures, and data transmission mechanisms. When a power saving class is not activated, mobile stations (MSs) communicate with base stations (BSs) along schedules defined by BSs. When a power saving class is activated, MSs are put in sleep modes to conserve energy.
FIG. 1 shows exemplary timing charts of Type I and Type II power saving classes. Each rectangle represents an IEEE 802.16e MAC frame. In connection 720, frames 724-734 are operated in Type I sleep mode, and frames 722 and 736 are operated in normal mode. In sleep windows 724, 728 and 732, no transmission is permitted. In listen windows 726, 730 and 734, MS restarts the power of radio transceiver and checks if any transmission is required. If no transmission is required, the frame numbers of Type I sleep windows will double at next sleep cycle. If transmission is required, the sleep mode is deactivated and replaced by normal mode 736. Connection 740 shows Type II sleep mode. In Type II sleep mode, the length of sleep cycle 724, sleep windows 744 and listen windows 746 are fixed. Data can be transmitted during listen windows without terminating Type II sleep mode.
IEEE 802.16e further defines Unavailability Interval (UI) to indicate the condition that all connections are in sleep mode. During UI, no transmission is conducted between MSs and BSs, and MSs are allowed to turn radio transceiver for power conservation. Therefore, maximizing the duration of UI can decrease power consumption of a terminal device.